Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic Ready for ‘Fresh Starts’ in Columbus

It was a trade that nearly every armchair GM could have made, and nearly everyone within the cities of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Columbus, Ohio could have predicted. It just seemed way too simple to actually come true.

But then it did.

On Saturday morning, the Winnipeg Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets teamed up on a blockbuster deal that sent Jets forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic south to the Blue Jackets, in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third-round draft pick.

A player drafted second overall in 2016 for a player drafted just one pick later in that same draft. And then thrown in was Roslovic, a former first round selection and local Columbus product, who had currently shifted to restricted free agent status and was holding out for a new contract thus far in 2020-21. To help seal the deal, Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen (a Finnish businessman) immediately signed the RFA to a two-year, $1.9 million contract upon word of the trade.

These sorts of deals are rare within the NHL: a star player for another star player. Why did it work out so well on Saturday?

According to the Blue Jackets newest top-line right winger, it’s more so because of things ‘not working out so well’ in Winnipeg.

“I don’t really know,” Laine said on why Winnipeg wasn’t the solution to his problems. “I just think maybe that it wasn’t the right fit for me and the team. They have a lot of depth and a lot of great players, so I think it was just the team’s time and my time to move on. They’ve got a Hell of a player in return too, which he will be a good player for the Jets. I just think it was time for us to move on.”

Despite Laine’s time as a Winnipeg Jet coming to a sudden close, the 22-year-old forward will continue to cherish his fond experiences within the organization and the city.

“I’m just going to leave it behind me and take all the great memories I had with this team and my teammates with me and move on,” he said. “I think it was a great place to play hockey. Everyone knows how passionate the fans are and how loud the building gets. So it was an awesome place to play hockey.”

But now looking ahead to a new chapter, the three-time 30-goal scorer is ready for a new opportunity with the Blue Jackets in Ohio.